


Swipe Left for Love

by DaniJayNel



Category: Terminator (Movies), Terminator Dark Fate
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Flirting, Oneshot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-18
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:07:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22306900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaniJayNel/pseuds/DaniJayNel
Summary: With her flight delayed, what else is Dani to do but waste time on a stupid dating app? When she swipes left on a profile that seems too good to be true, she doesn't expect the very person to be sitting right behind her. “Ouch, hard no for that one?” It was Grace. The Grace from the profile she just disliked. Sitting right there, behind her.
Relationships: Grace Harper/Dani Ramos
Comments: 63
Kudos: 388





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! My name is Dani. I recently watched Terminator Dark Fate (finally) and I'm now unhealthily obsessed with it lmao. You can bet that I channel all of my thirst for Grace/Mackenzie Davis through Dani, as I will with all the fics I decide to write for them. I hope you enjoy! This is based on a tweet I saw

Dani was absolutely bored out of her goddamn mind.

Her flight was delayed by 3 hours, and she had about nothing left to do. She was trying not to use her phone to preserve its battery, but she just finished reading the only novel she had brought with, planning on reading it over the weekend and not at the airport.

Sighing in aggravation, she pulled her phone out and decided, to hell with it. Who knew how much longer she had left sitting there on the cheap plastic waiting chairs, her ass going numb, until she could finally board her flight?

She didn’t usually go alone, but her brother Diego couldn’t get off work and so there she was, on her own. Maybe if Diego had been there with her, she wouldn’t have been so bored.

Resigned, and tired, Dani started scrolling through the apps and games on her phone. She settled on playing one of the shooter games she had only because Diego begged her to co-op with him. It was called _Dark Fate_ , and the game was about maintaining a human civilization in the wake of the apocalypse. The objective was to scour resources, build, re-populate and fight against AI robots hell bent on destroying humanity for good.

“Ridiculous,” she muttered under her breath, but she started playing all the same. She grew bored very quickly, though, so closed the game and decided to go onto one of the dating apps she had, called _Fiery_. It was stupid. So stupid. But where was the harm?

As always, she had a ton of notifications: likes, friend requests and thirst messages. So many of the men immediately asked for nudes, and a lot of the attractive lesbians wanted a hook-up, which Dani wasn’t looking for.

Between work, looking after her family and keeping her head down, she never really had time to pursue a relationship. She always figured, if she met the right man or woman, it would just happen naturally.

Dani started swiping, taking the time to actually read profiles and look through the collection of pictures. So many of these people were vain. They had such a specific list of what they were looking for, and if you weren’t _it,_ don’t even bother. Dani swiped right only on the few that had genuinely good profiles, seemingly cute personalities and not just pictures of pouting and muscles and boob. So many of the hot ones looked too good to be true, as well. Especially when the profile had only _one_ incredibly hot picture and absolutely no other information.

Dani paused at such an exact profile. The profile said Grace, 23. Lesbian. The picture was—well—incredible. Choppy, almost messy dark blonde hair, a jawline that made Dani swallow lightly. The woman’s eyes were a deep, beautiful blue that glowed in the sunlight slanting in from the window behind her. She was grinning lightly, one corner of her mouth—her lips looked so soft—was ever so quirked, like she was the keeper of some secret that only she knew. The only other detail her profile stated, was that she was 5 ft. 10.5 in. Also, _arms_. She wore a simple white tank top, displaying the full, deliciousness of her muscular arms and shoulders, the strong looking column of her throat, and small breasts quite obviously not in a bra.

Dani felt a deep pit of desire open up inside of her, and immediately swiped left. There was no way that wasn’t a catfish account.

“Ouch, hard no for that one?”

The voice was gentle, but warm, and that didn’t make Dani startle any less. It came from directly behind her, and when she twisted around in that godawful plastic chair, she was confronted with beautiful blue eyes, and that attractive little grin. It was Grace. From _Fiery_. It was actually the real person from the profile she had just disliked.

Dani’s mouth went dry. Her heart felt like it was about to dissolve into her stomach. “What?” she blurted.

Grace chuckled—and oh god, the sound made Dani feel weak. “Sorry, that was incredibly rude of me. I glanced over and saw my picture on your phone, so I was curious.”

Dani locked her phone and curled her fist around it, still staring dumbly at the astoundingly hot stranger watching her. “I’m sorry, that was you?”

Another chuckle, a hint of dimples. “Yep. Is it the tank-top? Is it because I’m not wearing a bra?”

Dani found herself laughing, completely caught of guard. “I can’t… wait, just…” She covered her face with her hands. “I didn’t mean, I… I assumed it was a catfish account.”

She chanced a peek, and Grace was looking at her with genuine confusion. A little crease formed between her brows. “My profile is totally real.” She lifted her phone, flashing said profile from her account. “See?”

Dani smothered another laugh. “Look, Grace, is it?”

“Yeah. Dani?”

“That’s me.”

“Cool. I swiped right, by the way.”

 _Do not blush_ , she told herself. “Look, Grace. Your profile is terrible. It seems like a catfish trap the second you look at it.”

Grace’s lips pulled down into a frown. She looked genuinely distraught, and it was honestly adorable. “But… Are you sure?”

“Here.” She stood and rounded the line of chairs so that she could fill the one beside Grace—and good god were her legs endlessly long. Dani nearly lost her train of thought, but Grace cleared her throat and grinned knowingly, and Dani inhaled sharply. “You need to give your profile life, see?” She showed her own. “You’re advertising yourself. Not just how pretty you are, but who you are inside.”

Grace stared, unblinking. “You think I’m pretty?”

Dani bit down on her lip. “I’m sure you’re aware of how attractive you are.”

“But do _you_ find me attractive?”

“I’m not going to answer that.” Grace pouted. “Anyway, so, you should add more pictures of you. No lip biting or ab showing or god, no nudes. Just, pictures of you doing things that show people who _you_ are.”

Grace slumped down and started tapping away at her phone. Dani took that moment to admire her from the side, and her jawline really was popping. She had faint scars curving the top of her cheekbones, and Dani wondered what had caused them. Her eyes dropped lower, to Grace’s throat, and she was incredibly distracted wondering how soft her skin was. When Grace finally presented her phone, profile open, Dani had to blink rapidly to bring herself back.

“Is this better?”

Dani took her phone. She’d added a ton more pictures; of her fixing a car, covered in dust and grease but smiling that beautiful smile; of her at an animal shelter, nearly lost in a crowed of rescue dogs; of a family dinner, grinning playfully at the camera. She added a description, too, and Dani read it while trying to ignore the piercing eyes that were watching her.

_‘Hi, my name is Grace. I’m 5 ft. 10.5 in, but tall is not all I am. I love long walks on the beach, animals, home cooked meals, fixing things that are broken. I can snap a man in half with my bare hands, but I’m incredibly gentle when it counts ;)’_

Dani snorted rather ungracefully and handed the phone back.

“What?” Grace asked her. “Still not good?”

“No, no it’s much better. A little smug, but better.”

Grace slipped her phone away and clasped her _very long_ fingers together on her lap. “Well, have you seen me?”

Dani never thought she would be so disappointed when the announcement came on for her flight, and they were allowed to start boarding. Grace glanced up at the nearby screen, but she didn’t make a move to get up.

“I most certainly have seen you, but now I must… not see you. My, uh… the flight.” She wanted to slap herself. Why did she sound so dumb? Why was the wiring in her brain getting all messed up?

Grace looked saddened by the news. “Oh, okay. It was nice meeting you, Dani. Despite the swipe left. I appreciate your help.”

Dani nodded, then gathered her bag and followed the crowd. As she walked to the plane, and eventually boarded, she couldn’t stop thinking about that smile and those eyes. Once seated, she pulled her phone out and went through her notifications. Sure enough, there it was.

_Grace liked you. Like back?_

She hesitated for a tiny second, wondering if Grace would think she was superficial, only liking back after seeing how hot she was in person. But god, those eyes… Taking a shaky inhale, she swiped right. A fluttery feeling filled her stomach. Almost immediately, a notification popped up.

 **Grace  
**What is your banking information

 **Dani  
**No go, Catfish. I only talk to real women  
Or men

 **Grace  
**Aw, damn  
I wanted to ask for your number, but I got so tongue tied I forgot. Thank you for liking me back so I could message you

 **Dani  
**You wanted my number?  
You were tongue tied?

 **Grace  
**Of course. Have you seen you? Dani, and forgive me if this too forward but you’re incredibly beautiful. Would you like to go on a date with me?

 **Dani  
**I’d like that

 **Grace  
**Yay! Will you let me know when you’re available, when we’re in the same area again?

 **Dani  
**Yeah I’ll do that

They were told to put their electronics on aeroplane mode, so she did that and strapped her seatbelt in. Dani couldn’t believe this was real, and she kept thinking about Grace’s messy hair and the curve of her smile.

She smiled, and her heart fluttered.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I just realized it's valentines day, so have a fic early! The long awaited sequel to Swipe Left, which I decided to add as a second chapter. Hope you all enjoy! I have another Gramos fic ready for Sunday :))

Grace returned home exhausted, and collapsed on her bed straight after dumping her bag on the floor. She was dead asleep in seconds, and when she woke hours later it was dark outside and her stomach grumbled. Groaning, she got out of bed, ordered some food and then had a quick shower.

Thank god the weekend was over. She really loved her parents, but she hated travelling. It was nice to be back in her little flat, in the place that she knew, and she was excited to get back to work the next day.

After showering and eating, Grace decided to watch some TV. She fiddled with her phone as well, and ended up opening _Fiery_. Sadly, since their first conversation after Dani had left for her flight, they hadn’t spoken again. Grace had been so occupied catching up with her parents and playing with their dogs, that her phone hadn’t even been charged most of the time. It seemed Dani had been just as busy, because she hadn’t sent any messages either.

Grace slunk down on the couch and stared at her phone. She thought back to two days ago, to when she had noticed Dani for the very first time, sitting all curled up on that uncomfortable chair, reading a book on her lap. She’d had the cutest furrow between her brows, and her look was so filled with concentration that Grace worried she wouldn’t even hear the announcement for her flight when it came on. She had sat there, keeping half an eye on Dani and half an ear on the intercom, just in case she needed to get her attention.

So, maybe that was how she noticed her picture on Dani’s phone, when she was being a creep and staring at her. Before Grace even had time to think about it, she’d blurted that stupid line. But god, when Dani had glanced up with those soulful, beautiful eyes, Grace had felt a peculiar feeling in her chest. It had been a long time since she had felt that.

Even though she never had time to check her phone, she still thought about Dani, and constantly wondered what she was doing. Grace went to Dani’s profile and scrolled through her many pictures, and she felt that same intense pull she’d felt the first time.

“Goddamn,” she groaned to herself, staring at a picture of Dani on the beach, laughing and framed in the sunlight. Her ice cream was melted all over her hand—and maybe that was why she was laughing—and she was so adorable.

Feeling a certain kind of way, Grace decided to head over to Instagram to see if there was a Dani Ramos on there, as her profile stated on _Fiery_. As luck would have it, she’d actually linked her IG to her dating profile, so with one click Grace was taken there, and she spent the next hour just going back on all of Dani’s posts. There were so many beautiful selfies, a lot of them with her brother and father, with people in her area and the lots of friends she seemed to have. She loved to post about food and scenery and her cute dog, Taco. She had a lot of likes and comments, and Grace noted that somehow, Dani responded to everyone.

She was like a little ray of sunshine. Grace closed IG immediately and set her phone away, already recognizing where this was going. It was a rabbit hole down the path of obsession, and she wasn’t willing to do that to herself. But then she thought about Dani’s smile again, and her chest warmed, and she was opening up the chat on _Fiery_ before she even realized it.

 **Grace  
** _Hey Dani! I was so busy with my family this weekend that I forgot my phone even exists. I didn’t forget about you, though. How are you doing? I’d really like to chat if you’re up for it._

She sent the message off, and she hoped she wasn’t coming off as creepy or desperate. She knew that sometimes she could be a bit forward, and while plenty of girls appreciated it, not all did. Some people found it presumptuous, and ergo rude. That’s never how she intended.

Grace noticed that her notifications had blown up, and she was shocked to see how many girls had liked her profile and sent friend requests. She wasn’t all that interested in any of them, though, so she finally closed the app and continued watching TV.

For the next hour, Grace was hyper fixated on her phone. For that whole time, it didn’t buzz once. She didn’t like the pit of disappointment in her gut. Eventually she grabbed her phone, went into the stupid app and then hovered over Dani’s icon. She inhaled, clicked on the chat and then took a steady breath.

 **Grace  
** _Your advice really worked and my notifications are blowing up, but I think I’m going to take a break from this app. Here is my number, if you’d like to ever get together for that date. Hope to hear from you. Love, Grace._

She added her contact info, then deleted the app entirely from her phone. She felt a little lighter after that, and then she went to sleep. In the morning, she had no messages from Dani, and a week later she was already over it. Her job kept her so occupied and she was always busy with one thing or another. As a general rule she didn’t use her phone all that much anyway.

A month later, Grace had all but forgotten about Dani. She was at work on her lunch, sitting out front in the parking lot on the curb. Her lunchbox sat open beside her, and she enjoyed the cool breeze as it washed over her sweaty body. It was hot as all fuck, and she had been underneath a car all day. She was covered in grease and sweat, and her hair was so messy that she didn’t even care about it anymore.

“Hey, Grace?”

She glanced up from her phone to see a woman standing close by. She immediately recognized her and stood, brushing crumbs from her lap.

“Oh, hi! Historia, right?”

“Yeah!”

“What can I do for you?”

“I’m so sorry to bother you on your break like this.”

Grace flashed her best smile, the one that had her dimples popping. She saw the moment it did its job, and she couldn’t help the little jolt of pride she felt when Historia blushed. Historia was one of their customers. A week ago, her girlfriend’s car had broken down, and they’d brought it in to be fixed. John had been the one to take their car, but he’d missed the actual problem and sent it back with new issues. She remembered walking in after her break and hearing Ymir, the girlfriend, angrily explaining that her car was still fucked up.

One, Grace loved to prove customers wrong. Two, their poor receptionist was having a tough time. So she had jumped in and offered to check and fix it for free, and it had taken her an hour to do that. Ymir had apologized at Historia’s behest, and then they’d been on their way. Grace couldn’t help but admire how hot both of them were, and it reminded her just how gay she was.

“Not a problem at all,” Grace replied. “I’m about finished anyway.”

“Well, I just wanted to give you these.” She handed over a box of biscuits. “To say thank you, and to apologize for Ymir being such a jackass.”

Grace took the box with a look of surprise. “You really didn’t need to. I was just doing my job.”

Historia shook her head. “Still, I wanted to thank you properly. So, thank you.”

Grace couldn’t help the delighted smile as it spread across her face. A tall woman approached them and wound an arm around Historia’s shoulders.

“I told her not to,” Ymir drawled, rolling her eyes. Though she acted all annoyed, Grace could see the way she looked at Historia with adoration, the way her smile was soft and just for her, and it made her heart clench in jealousy.

They chatted for a moment more, then they left. Grace had to go back in, but her good mood had soured. For some reason she started thinking about Dani, and she wondered why she had never received a message from her. It was so stupid to be so hung up on a complete stranger.

Days later, Grace found herself at the local bar with her co-worker John, and they were both enjoying a few cold beers and a bowl of salted pretzels. The bar was a chilled place, and also where his mother worked, so it was always the best place to find John. Grace also really loved the shit out of his mother, since she was a badass and had the most hilariously dry lines ever. She made Grace laugh so many times she nearly busted a hernia.

“Why the longer than usual face, kid?” Sarah asked her, sweeping an empty beer bottle away to be replaced with a new one.

Grace curled her fingers around it and enjoyed the coldness against her skin. “Why the clown mask? Or that just your face?” she shot back and took a healthy swig. Beside her, John sighed and shook his head, but continued chewing on pretzels and vibing peacefully.

“You really want to square up?” Sarah asked her. She didn’t even look over and occupied herself wiping the counter down, but Grace watched her.

“I would, but I wouldn’t want you to stay up past your bedtime.”

Sarah glanced up at her, her lips pressed into a firm line. “Don’t you have somewhere to be? Oh, yeah, sorry. I forgot your only company is that hand of yours.”

Grace’s lips twitched, but she refused to smile yet. “Aren’t you late for your appointment to see Jesus?”

“Aren’t you afraid of dying alone and single?”

Grace blew a breath out of her nose. “Cold, old lady. Very cold.”

Sarah gave her a wink. “Best temperature to keep my heart at.”

Grace finished her drink off and skilfully slid it across the counter to Sarah, who caught it without even trying. She looked dangerously unimpressed, though, and tossed it over her shoulder into the nearby bin. She maintained eye contact the whole time.

“Oh, so you keep your heart in a cooler box?”

John snorted. “You two are the worst.”

“Quiet, boy, or you’ll be whipped next.”

Grace nearly choked on a laugh, caught herself just a little late, but the damage was done. At having won, Sarah broke out into a giant, shit-eating grin. She sauntered over, cloth slapped over her shoulder, to grin smugly in Grace’s face.

“Maybe next time, Chiselled Cheekbones.”

Grace crunched on a pretzel. “You say that like it’s an insult, but it’s really not.”

Someone asked for a new drink, so Sarah walked off to do that. John then leaned in and gave Grace a look.

“I can never guess if you two love each other or hate each other.”

Grace shrugged. “Not all relationships are so cut and dry, John.”

“Yeah, but it’s weird because she’s my mom.”

At that, Grace laughed. “I have innocent thoughts about her, don’t worry.”

“Torture and murder are not innocent thoughts.”

She picked a fleck of salt off a pretzel. “Oh, yeah. You got me there.”

He shook his head and laughed, and Grace stared at a spot of moisture on the otherwise pristinely cleaned counter. Immediately Sarah’s cloth slid by to dry it up, and when Grace glanced up Sarah was giving her a look, too.

“Seriously, you look like dog shit,” Sarah told her.

Grace sighed. “I didn’t sleep well, and yesterday I had an accident at work.”

John snorted rather loudly, which garnered Sarah’s suddenly undivided attention. “Do tell,” Sarah coaxed.

“Well,” John started, grinning that stupid smug grin that he’d gotten from his mother, “she was under a car, doing her thing, when a new lady drove in. Grace was the only one in the garage, so this lady goes up to her and Grace is talking to her, still underneath the car. Eventually she rolls out, right underneath this woman, sees her whole coochie, then tries to get up and smacks her head. She fucking knocked herself out and woke up in this woman’s arms, the woman sobbing. She thought Grace had just died.”

Grace rubbed the sore spot on her head, glad it was covered by her hair. When Sarah started to laugh so hard she coughed and wheezed like a donkey, Grace’s cheeks turned bright red.

“Fuck you,” she said to John, getting up, “and fuck you, grandma.”

This time, Sarah was laughing too hard to even retort. She actually had tears pouring down her face. Grace pretended to be mad and left, but she grinned to herself because okay, yeah, she was pathetically awkward when it came to women sometimes— _sometimes_ —but if given the chance to prepare herself, she was fine.

Who would be prepared to just, see bare lady parts out of the blue? Of course she would injure herself badly. At least the woman had been so relieved that she was alive, that she never even cared about the accidental flashing. Grace, however, would be thinking about it for days.

John caught up to her as she started the walk home, and he looked alive and happy. She playfully bumped into him and he chuckled.

“My mom really likes you,” he told her. “She always says it’s a shame you’re a carpet-muncher.”

“Wow, she’s fucking rude.”

“Yeah. She’d say that to your face, too. I think she just pities you.”

“I actually think that’s ruder. Hey, do you have a spare key to your mom’s place?”

He furrowed his brows. “I do, why?”

“Could I use it?”

“Why?” He sounded suspicious.

“I just think she’s lived a long, happy life, you know?” She grinned at him. “Maybe it’s time to put her down. Pillow to the face?”

He punched her hard in the shoulder, but she didn’t feel it. She wound an arm around his shoulders and tugged him closer, and all he did was groan in exasperation. She was taller than him, and he hated the constant reminder.

“Your fantasies about murdering my mother aside, I agree with her. When are you finally getting a girlfriend?”

She immediately pulled her arm away and her expression soured. “John, not everything revolves around a relationship.”

“Fine, get laid then!”

She shoved her hands into her pockets. “I’m not interested in random hook-ups.”

“Yeah, cause you clearly have no problem getting them, right? What, with random women flashing their bits to you.”

“She didn’t do that on purpose and you know it, you asshole.”

He laughed. “Still. Was it good?”

She stopped and looked at him. The air was nice and cool, which was a relief after the insanely hot day. The alcohol in her system was keeping her warm, though, and she thought about shrugging out of her jacket. “Was what good?”

He made obscene gestures with his hands. “You know, her coochie?”

She immediately flushed. “That’s rude.”

They continued walking, but John was insufferable and stubborn. He kept on until she finally gave in with a sigh of aggravation.

“Fine. Yes, she had a pretty vagina. Is that what you wanted to hear? All of them are beautiful in my opinion, but hers was extra nice to look at for the briefest second I did.”

He nodded, like he’d just learnt something vital. “Good to know, thank you.”

“Ugh, you’re disgusting.”

“Not as disgusting as you, looking at a stranger’s noonads.”

“Why the fuck do you use all those weird words?”

“It’s just a defence mechanism. My mom doesn’t know that there are words other than cunt, and I have a fragile heart.”

She shook her head and decided she was done talking to him. He was happy to just stroll beside her. They went on like this until they made it to the local park, and John convinced her to get on the swings with him before they went home. Their repair shop was closed for the weekend, so they didn’t have to worry about sobering up in time.

The swings creaked under them as they sat down and swung back and forth, and Grace lifted her eyes up to the dark, beautiful sky. She didn’t really feel down, just exhausted. Everyone’s constant hackling about her love life annoyed her, but she knew it came from a place of care for her. John could say gross things—and his mother was just disgusting—but they cared. In their own fucked up way.

Grace wondered if she would find someone sometime soon, and then her phone vibrated with a message. She would have normally just ignored it, because she was tipsy and it was late, but she decided to pull her phone out and see who it was. John was leaning so far back in the swing to better see the stars that his feet were nearly up in the air, and Grace half hoped he would fall and eat dirt.

Grace’s heart immediately did a hard skip when she read the message.

 **Dani  
** _Hi Grace! I’m so damn sorry it’s taken me two whole months to finally message you. I was so busy the weekend we met, then when I got home I dropped my phone and my screen shattered. I never had a spare, so I had to wait for it to get fixed and it was such a mess. Had to send it back again and nearly fought the manager myself. I finally logged back onto Fiery and saw your message. Are you still interested in chatting? Hope to hear from you soon! Oh, and it’s Dani, in case you forgot._

Grace felt like her whole body had suddenly been filled with liquid warmth. John looked at her with concern, and she knew she had the biggest, dopiest grin on her face. Her heart was galloping so hard, because she couldn’t believe it. Fuck, why did she feel this way about someone she didn’t even know?

 **Grace  
** _Hey Dani. I never forgot! I thought you moved on and forgot about me :( I was so sad._

 **Dani  
** _Oh no I didn’t forget about you at all, I promise_

 **Grace  
** _Good, because my heart is fragile  
Even if my ego isn’t_

 **Dani  
** _Oh my god, so I didn’t make up your arrogance_

 **Grace  
** _Confidence*_

 **Dani  
** _Sorry, I meant to say cockiness*_

 **Grace  
** _You wound me_

 **Dani  
** _lol  
So what are you doing up so late? It’s past midnight_

 **Grace  
** _Hanging out with John_

 **Dani** _  
Oh cool! Haven’t heard from him in a while_

 **Grace  
** _Wait you know him?_

 **Dani  
** _No but you didn’t explain so I assume you assumed I’d just know_

 **Grace  
** _You’re very spicy, I like it_

 **Dani  
** _Oh I’m very spicy. Be careful, you’ll burn your tongue_

 **Grace  
** _Ma’am, that was very flirty_

 **Dani  
** _really? :o_

Grace laughed softly to herself and continued to chat with her, while John snuck closer to peek. He gave her pointers here and there, and eventually they realized they had to go home. Grace messaged Dani the whole time, even as she got ready for bed and collapsed on her mattress. Even though it was incredibly late, they still continued to chat until the sun came up, and Grace only stopped talking because she fell asleep with her phone on her face.

She had absolutely wonderful dreams, all staring one small, spicy Dani Ramos.

XxX

Dani could still remember the moment her phone screen shattered. She got home, exhausted and ready to just collapse and nap the day away. She slipped her tight jeans off and forgot to take her phone out first, so it tumbled from her pocket and went splat on the floor. She heard the noise, but didn’t think anything of it since it had fallen from such a short height. Wrong. When she picked it up, her whole screen was cracked.

She’d had no back up phone. No one would let her use theirs just to download Fiery—and she was also a bit sceptical to do so on anyone else’s phone, anyway. So when she finally got her phone back, the first thing she did was recover her backup data and go onto the app. Her heart ached a little when she saw Grace’s messages, and she wished she could have let her know.

Strangely, the whole two months, Dani had constantly thought about Grace. Whenever she had a moment and someone’s phone or even the PC at work, she snuck onto Grace’s IG just to stare at her pictures. It was nice to get little updates about her, too. It was especially nice to see the selfies of her post-gym, where she was extra delicious to look at. Even though in a lot of her pics she looked severe and intimidating, in plenty of them she had such a goofy, happy smile.

God, how was this woman not married yet? Dani ached just looking at her. She clearly knew how attractive she was, even though Dani noted she tended to make fun of herself a lot.

After they finally got into contact again, they ended up chatting constantly. The second she woke up, the first thing she did was grab her phone and send Grace a message. Sometimes there would already be one, with Grace saying good morning and wishing her a good day. Through her day they would message back and forth and exchange pictures of whatever came to mind. Grace sent so many pictures of her surroundings—plenty with her hand just there—and a lot of selfie’s too. Dani sent a lot back of her dog, Taco, and maybe a few of herself that were a bit, as Grace put it, spicy.

It was frightening how intense their chats were. Dani found that Grace was on her mind constantly, and she was always checking her phone for new messages, and she thought about Grace every night before she went to sleep. That also meant that she’d had more than one naughty dream about her, too. Those she hadn’t mentioned yet.

Surprisingly, they lived in the same area. They found out by accident when Diego came home and told Dani about his cool new co-workers, and through his descriptions and the eventual name drop, Dani realized it was Grace. Diego had just started at Carl’s Repairs, where Grace worked. It was like fate, or something.

So, they eventually agreed to go on a date. Dani was so nervous, but she was also insanely excited. They hadn’t met up in person at all, and three months had gone by since their strange meeting at the airport. She remembered how attractive Grace was.

Grace asked her if she wanted to have some coffee at a local café, and then see a movie afterwards. Since Dani was working a half-day, she got Diego to drop her off at the shopping centre and she ignored his teasing as she got out the car. Once he left, she went to stand underneath some shade and then sent Grace a message. It was late afternoon, but the sun was still hot.

 **Dani  
** _Hey you. I’m here. Where are you?_

 **Grace  
** _I’m outside the café. Where are you? I don’t see you_

Dani frowned and looked around her. There was no café nearby, but this was the area Grace had told her. The street name was the same, too. She frowned as she typed her reply.

 **Dani  
** _I’m at the shopping centre, at Smith street like you said_

 **Grace  
** _Oh no, I think you’re on the wrong street. That’s the whole opposite side of town. It’s actually Smiths street, not Smith. Where exactly are you?_

 **Dani  
** _Uuuh I’m by the stationary shops. Do you need me to walk over and find you?_

 **Grace  
** _No, I’m running over right now! Stay right there, okay?_

 **Dani  
** _No don’t actually run!_

But Grace stopped replying, so Dani just leaned against a tree and waited. The shopping centre was oddly packed for so late in the afternoon, and as the sun started to dip, she grew nervous. She had assumed Grace would meet her immediately, so she didn’t worry too much about standing around waiting for her. But in the dark? Even though there were tons of other people, she was still very small and easy to grab and go.

About ten minutes later, Grace skidded to a stop beside her, gasping in so harshly that Dani immediately grabbed her shoulders to offer support before she fell over.

“I said don’t run!” she scolded, laughing.

Grace choked on some breaths and straightened. She had sweat slicked down her face and her hair was all messy from the run, but she was still so beautiful to look at. She flashed her teeth in a smile, but Dani could see a flush on her cheeks.

“I was worried with how dark it’s getting, so I didn’t want to keep you waiting.”

Dani wrapped her fingers around Grace’s bicep, still not trusting her not to fall over. “I can’t believe you ran the whole way here.”

Grace shrugged and ran a hand through her messy hair. “I have long legs. No biggie.”

“You look like you’re about to collapse.”

She snorted softly on a laugh, but Dani thought it was adorable. “I’ll be fine, don’t worry. Might have an iced-coffee to cool down. I’m so sorry for not warning you about the dumb street names.”

Dani shook her head. “Not your fault. I should have looked properly.”

“So, shall we?”

Dani slid her fingers down to the crook of Grace’s elbow, and she was rewarded with that beautiful, goofy smile. Her heart fluttered. “Yeah, of course.”

Maybe not the most perfect start to a date, but Dani didn’t really mind. She really was astonished by how quickly Grace had run to her, especially since it took them a half hour just to walk across town to get to the café. They talked the whole while, and Grace was so animated as she talked. She used her hands and she smiled a lot, and Dani lost herself in just watching her expression and her mannerisms. She was absolutely adorable, and she felt a very strong urge to run her fingers through Grace’s hair. God, she smelt amazing too. Dani could smell a mixture of her sweat and body spray, and both together just made her whole body tingle. Who knew sweat could smell so good? Was it just a hormone thing?

When they got to the café, Grace held the door open like a gentlewoman and Dani grinned at her as she stepped inside. That grin immediately slipped off her face when the noise from inside hit her full force.

“What the hell?” Grace exclaimed beside her.

It was absolutely packed. All of the tables were occupied and there was a long line to the counter. Dani had been here a few times for coffee and donuts, and she had never seen it so busy before.

“It must be rush hour or something,” Dani suggested.

Grace was glaring frighteningly at the backs of the people, and Dani was curious to see how she was going to handle this. “Yeah, I think we just came at a bad time.”

“It’s alright, though. We have all night.”

At that, Grace nodded and grinned. “Yeah, you’re right! We can at least get to know each other a little more.”

“Of course. What do you want to know?”

As they waited in line, they struggled to hear each other over the shouting of other people. Dani started to get incredibly annoyed, but she tried her best not to let it show. She didn’t want Grace to see that side of her quite so quickly, even though she knew her temper would get the best of her sooner or later.

As it happened, her temper snapped as they reached the halfway mark to the counter, nearly half an hour later. A group of teen boys stood in front of them, and they were laughing like animals and shoving each other around. Dani kept a keen eye on how close they came to bumping into her multiple times, and when it finally happened, when one of them stumbled backwards into her when his friend pushed him again, she bit down hard on her lip and flashed her angriest glare.

“Can all of you please stop being so annoying?” she snapped at them. “There are people in this line other than you.”

The boy that stumbled looked embarrassed, but his friends didn’t seem to appreciate her tone. They pulled their friend back and gave her a very rude once-over.

“Whatever, lady,” one of them snorted. “Or what?”

“Are you gonna call our mom?” another snickered, and the rest of them laughed with.

Dani clenched her hands into fists. She was shaking with anger, and she really wanted to get in their face and go off in a string of Spanish telling them exactly where they could stick their attitudes, but to her surprise Grace suddenly shot forward and grabbed the collar of the one guy, and she tugged him closer to glare down at him. She towered over the boys, and she looked furious.

“Behave like men, and apologize to her,” she growled low and threatening. Even over the noise around them, her words were clear and powerful. “Watch where you step, and say sorry when you do something wrong. Did your mothers raise you like this?”

They immediately all gulped and paled. The boy in Grace’s grip shook his head, his Adam’s apple bouncing as he clearly tried to hide his nervousness. She let him down, and he scrambled behind his friends.

“Sorry,” they all mumbled to Dani, then they seemed to decide the coffee wasn’t worth it and just left completely.

Dani stared up at Grace, her eyes wide. Grace just stared forward, her jaw muscles tensed. She looked like she really wanted to hit something, and there was also nervousness on her face. Dani sucked in a calming breath, then hesitantly curled her pinkie finger around Grace’s.

“Thank you,” she told her. Grace glance down at her in surprise. “I was about to whoop that boy’s ass.”

Grace’s mouth opened, closed, opened again. Her finger curled around Dani’s. “You don’t think I’m a whole asshole for losing my head at a bunch of boys?”

“Oh no, I was ready to square up.”

Grace laughed softly. “You? Tiny you?’

“Hey, dynamite comes in small packages.”

Grace shook her head. They didn’t speak as they continued to wait in line, but they continued to hold pinkies and Dani thought that was very gay of them. When they finally ordered and received their drinks and food, they were incredibly disappointed. They decided to just leave, since there was no space to sit inside, and found a bench somewhere in town to settle on.

The coffee was bitter instead of sweet, and cold, and the pastries were stale. Grace cursed angrily.

“Seriously? We waited a whole hour for dogshit like this?”

Dani licked the coffee from her lips, grimacing. “Guess they were just too swamped. It’s okay, though.”

“No, it’s really not.”

She wanted to reassure Grace that she wasn’t upset, but then Grace suddenly swore as she looked at the time.

“We missed our movie,” she sighed, her brows knitted together. “I completely lost track of time. I’m so sorry, Dani.”

Dani covered Grace’s hand with her own. “Hey, that’s alright. I’m not angry. I don’t mind what we do, so long as I get to spend time with you.”

Grace seemed to relax slightly. “I just feel awful. This must be the worst date you’ve ever been on.”

“I don’t know, I could think of many worse than this. Besides, I think you defending me earlier was pretty hot. And I find it funny, considering I was about to blow my fuse too.”

Grace gathered their drinks and food and tossed them into a nearby bin. “Can I at least drive you home?”

“Yeah, of course.”

She was sad for the date to end, but she could understand that Grace was probably embarrassed. They walked together to the nearby parking lot, and Dani’s heart fluttered when Grace opened her door for her and closed it after her.

The car looked beaten up, but it started the first time and it sounded fine. Dani allowed herself to relax, and stared out at the stars in the dark sky, twinkling down at them.

“Music?” Grace asked just as it started to rain.

Dani hummed her agreement, and Grace started playing something calming. Dani loved the rain, and she especially loved the atmosphere. She felt so content, sitting there in the car with Grace as it started to rain outside.

When the car suddenly made a horrible noise and then died, the only sound that of the hard rain pattering against the car, Dani wanted to laugh. Grace, however, looked like she had just swallowed something very hard. Grace stopped on the side of the road and dropped her forehead against her steering wheel.

“We’re a few streets from my house,” Dani tried, not sure if she should touch Grace’s shoulder to comfort her, or leave her alone. “We could maybe wait for it to stop raining and then I can just walk.”

Grace shook her head. “Only if I walk with you.”

“That’s fine.”

They sat back and waited, but the rain didn’t stop. In fact, it only got worse. Dani wanted to call Diego for help, but he wasn’t picking up and eventually his phone was switched off. Grace had a similar problem, and she just laughed when no one picked her call up.

“We might as well just walk now,” Dani suggested. “It’s really not that far, and you can dry off at my place while you wait for someone to pick you up.”

Grace exhaled in a long rush. She remained silent for a long time, staring out at the wet road in front of them, then she nodded. “Okay. I don’t have any umbrellas.”

“We’ll just endure it.”

They climbed out of the car and met in the front, and then they started walking through the pouring rain. Dani wanted to take Grace’s hand, but she wasn’t sure if it would be welcomed. They walked for a while in silence, until Dani caught Grace’s expression and saw how crushed she was, and her chest ached. She came to a sudden stop and grabbed Grace’s hand.

“Dani?”

Dani closed her eyes as the rain pelted against her. Yeah, she was soaked through and getting cold. She didn’t care, though. “Grace, I really don’t think this was a bad date.” She opened her eyes, and Grace was looking down at her with a sceptical expression.

“I don’t know, were we on the same date?”

Dani laughed. “Come on, you must think it was funny.”

She could see Grace trying not to smile. “It’s embarrassing. And you don’t deserve this. I’m ashamed.”

“No! I had a great time, because it was with you.”

“You’re going to block me after this, I can feel it,” Grace retorted, and she looked pretty unhappy.

Dani couldn’t have that. She grabbed hold of Grace’s collar and went up on her toes, and she stared into Grace’s eyes for a few seconds as she leaned in, to give her time to pull back if she needed to, and then she kissed her. Grace froze against her, but then immediately melted and Dani enjoyed the way her strong arms wrapped securely around her.

They kissed there in the rain, swaying together with the wind, hearts pounding. When they pulled away, Dani’s entire body was hot and her fingers were lost in Grace’s wet hair. Said hair was plastered to her pale white skin, and Dani laughed.

“You’re so fucking hot,” she gasped out. “And I can’t believe I just got to kiss you.”

Grace looked bewildered. “Dani, I think your bar is very, very low.”

Dani shook her head. She took Grace’s hand, intertwined their fingers, and then they continued walking. They made it to her place quickly and Dani immediately grabbed towels for them.

“You can wear this, it’s Diego’s but he forgot it here a long time ago. They’re clean, don’t worry.”

Grace accepted the boxers and shirt, and Dani paused in the bathroom doorway to just admire the way Grace had her hair slicked back and the way her clothes clung to her body. She really looked shaken and out of place, and Dani felt bad for her.

“Hey,” she spoke up, approaching her. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I just feel like everything that could go wrong today, did.”

Dani shrugged. “You got to kiss the girl, so I’d count today as a good one.”

“I mean, yeah, but I only got to kiss you once.” She pouted and lifted those smouldering eyes. “Maybe my bruised ego will heal if I get a few more?”

Dani laughed. “Dry yourself up and meet me on my couch in five minutes, Casanova. I’m going to order pizza.”

She left Grace there to do that, and when Grace finally joined her, she was dry and looking a lot better. This time, Dani didn’t need to initiate. Grace immediately leaned in and kissed her, and Dani groaned against her mouth. Grace gently cradled her cheek, and Dani just melted against her touch. Before it could go anywhere else, their pizza arrived and they needed to pull apart so that Dani could answer. She returned, and they started to eat, and kissed in between.

“You taste like cheese,” Dani laughed at her.

Grace finished off her last slice. “Really? I wonder why. That’s so weird. Should I get it checked out?”

She threw one of her small couch pillows at Grace’s head, but missed badly. Grace laughed at her terrible aim, which made Dani blush.

“Are you laughing at me?”

Grace closed the pizza box and then scooted closer. “Absolutely. You’re adorable.”

“I could kick your ass in my sleep.”

“I really don’t doubt that.”

Dani rolled her eyes, but Grace moved close, and the heat of her was overwhelming. She gave in immediately, and they were kissing again, and Grace’s mouth moved against hers like it was a route travelled before. Tingles spread along her limbs to end at her fingers and toes, and kissing Grace was like coming home.

They eventually pulled apart, and Grace gently brushed their noses. Dani’s heart melted all over again.

“Grace?”

“Hmm?”

“This date was pretty bad, but it’s been the best date I’ve ever been on.”

“What, really?”

“Yeah. Because I think I’m falling in love with you.”

Grace stilled, went silent for a moment, then moved away to look into her face. Her blue eyes were big and round in surprise, and she had a flush over her face. “You… really?”

Dani rolled her eyes. “I’ve not been subtle with my feelings.”

“I mean, I guess, but…”

“Would you be willing to go on more terrible dates with me?”

Grace shook her head, laughing. “You really are spicy.”

“Of course.” She winked, and her expression grew devious. “Just remember, you’ll burn your tongue.”

Grace flushed darker. “You say that and you know exactly the implications.”

She fluttered her lashed, pretending that she didn’t. Grace stared at her, then she dove forward and started to tickle her. Dani immediately fought back, kicking and screaming, but Grace was so much stronger and ended up holding her down. When she begged, Grace stopped, then they were kissing, and time passed, and Dani had never felt happier.

“Thank you for going on this horrible date with me,” Grace whispered reverently against her lips. “And I’m totally falling for you too.”

“Good,” Dani smiled, trailing her fingertips along Grace’s jaw. “I’d love to see this face more often.”

Grace wiggled her brows, and Dani laughed, and there was no place else she’d rather be.

**Author's Note:**

> [The tweet in question](https://twitter.com/taylor_stag/status/1067199832408739847)


End file.
